


Out Of Reach

by Cobalt_sugar_punch



Category: Original Work
Genre: Crushes, Eventual Smut, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gynarchy, High School, Praise Kink, Role Reversal, Romance, Sexism, Slow Burn, bottom bitch, but Ariana doesn't tolerate sexism of any form, but make it a gynarchy, making a new tag today ahaha, shy boy, so she's about to show Braden that he can be a boy and strong at the same time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:08:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cobalt_sugar_punch/pseuds/Cobalt_sugar_punch
Summary: Braden doesn't know how to be happy on his own and thinks he needs a big strong girlfriend. Ariana thinks he's a cutie and that he doesn't need anyone to be perfect, and she makes it her mission to show him that.This is my attempt at role reversal but it's also very very sweet so be on the watch for cavities.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

The end-of-school bell rang out over the grounds as Braden sat on the edge of the low wall, swinging his legs. Sunrays stabbed into the back of his neck as a horde of students poured past him, out the school gates and onto the sidewalk. He loosened his tie and slouched. It was too _hot_ to still be in school. Long pants weren’t part of the uniform for their breathability. The swishing of his girl classmates’ cotton skirts caught his envious eye. What he wouldn’t give to be cool and free like that. And then he smacked himself in the side of the head in punishment for the thought. He was safe like this, honor and reputation intact and no one with ideas of taking what he couldn’t protect on his own. Maybe Tía was right, maybe he did need a girlfriend. Somebody strong and good to keep him safe. And love him, and complete him.

Braden slid a russet-toned hand through his hair and smiled lazily. He had had somebody in mind for ages. A mental montage was already running, of her wild hand motions when she talked, her echoing laugh, and the careless smile she doled out for free to anyone she greeted. He liked to think that when the smile was directed at him though, it was more tender. She sat two tables away from him in the morning before school. She was three seats away from him in a few of his classes. Ariana Velasco was always close enough to dream after but never close enough to touch.

He was in the middle of a deep, contemplative sigh when a ball flew directly into his nose. Braden didn’t have time to blink, startling and falling backwards off his brick perch. The soft grass caught him as the air forced itself out of his lungs with a _whump_. His head didn’t hit though. It was caught from hitting the ground by a hand, with a second one immediately forming a cradle with the first. As he sucked in a breath and blinked under the assault of bright sunlight, a head popped into his view, over him, shielding the sun, and that confident grin was the first thing his eyes focused on. “Are you okay bro?” Ariana cheerfully asked. Now he wasn’t breathing for an entirely different reason.

She tilted her head after he gaped for a moment. “Braden? Can you hear me okay? I thought I kept your head from smacking _too_ hard.” The stunned boy blinked rapidly and sat up, away from the hands that dove to save him. “Yeah yeah yeah yeah,” he stammered, “I just, fell… I’m okay, I’m good.” Ariana popped up standing before he could and offered her hand again to pull him up. Again, he thought dazedly as he took it and was hauled up. Twice in one minute she’s reached to touch me. No, (blessed day,) _three times_ , as she steadied his shoulder and said brightly, “Careful! You’re a little dizzy there.” Braden nodded hastily and looked up to her face. It rivaled the Texas afternoon for radiance; the sparkling hazel eyes and plush mouth giving him that fond look he was sure wasn’t just his imagination. She punched him none too easily on the shoulder in lieu of a goodbye and turned to leave with the rest of the student body. The lingering light sting in his flesh made him realize, as he watched her skirt swish off amidst the flow of bodies, that she hadn’t been gentle. She treated him like he could take it. It was a new feeling entirely. 

“Wait!” Braden called suddenly, without thinking. He pushed through his classmates to get to her. Ariana turned slightly, unsure that she’d heard him, and stopped when she saw him struggling through. “Need anything, Nunez?” she asked when he reached her. “Ahhhmm…” He hadn’t thought of a plan or really even second guessed why he’d called out. “... Walk me home?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a walk home, with crushy shyness and Braden being introduced to the idea that he can indeed take care of himself.

Heart in his throat, Braden watched Ariana consider for a moment. “Do you live on the South side?” He swallowed around the lump and nodded, “I’m just three blocks from here.” He pointed down the sidewalk in the way that she was going anyway. She beamed. “Great! You’re really close to me, I can get you there easily buddy.”

Braden suppressed the upcoming delighted smile into a polite, smaller version. “That’s very kind of you,” he murmured. “I just feel like it would make my tía worry less if I had someone with me. And I think she likes you.” Oh no, damn damn damn now she would think it was because of Tía. That wasn’t it at all.

The taller girl cocked her head to the side quizzically as they started down the sidewalk that was so cracked it looked like cobblestones. “Where has she ever seen me, to like me?” Now he had to defend his lie. “Ummm, probably at one of your games, or when I told her about your Government project.” Velasco was a power forward on their varsity basketball team, and had built a bust of the latest state governor out of wood scraps from her shed.

That brought the iconic smile back to her face. “You told her about that? Didn’t know you talked about me, güey.” She elbowed him lightly. The camaraderie and the touch both made Braden’s mind go staticky. It made it difficult to focus on the latest obstacle at hand; he had done it again. He hated lying, why was he lying to her? “Only in passing.” Dammit dammit dammit.

Ariana nodded seriously, and then relented with a kind smile. “I’m only teasing you, Nunez. Don’t get so red, it’s alright.” He managed to nod in agreement without opening his dumb mouth again. The scuffling of pavement under their feet was the only noise in the sunny, humid neighbourhood. No one who had a choice was outside right now.

“Is that why you’re red? If you get overheated easily I can understand why your tía would like a friend to take you home. The weather channel said-”

“No! No, it’s not that, I’m _fine_ , and she… just wants me to be safe.” That was the first really true thing he’d said. “... She thinks I’m very pretty, and doesn’t want me to get snatched. A friend walking with me would make that less likely.” The embarrassment from before faded at the sobriety of the topic. He added, “I couldn’t defend myself if anyone tried, so she’s completely right.”

“Half right.” Braden looked up startledly at the tone change in Ariana’s cheery voice; it was suddenly… angry? “Just because you’re pretty doesn’t make you defenseless. From what I felt earlier, you’ve got some muscle. And you’re in classes above your age group, it would be easy to learn how to kill any bitch who tries to touch you.” He blinked rapidly at the massive topic change. The swearing and rough words caught him off guard and left him unsure of how to respond. And she thought he was strong? And smart? And _pretty_? 

The next two blocks were walked in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If we're lucky I'll add another chapter or two today, wouldn't that be something.


	3. Chapter 3

As they approached the house he pointed to as his, identical to the other stained, weathered houses, Ariana’s steps slowed. He looked to see her furrowed brows and chewing lightly on her lip. He wondered quietly what she was thinking, and never would have found out if she hadn’t grabbed him by the shoulders right as they got to the wooden gate, which was peeling white paint.

“Listen to me Braden,” she intoned. She was way closer than he was ready for, bent slightly to lock big hazel eyes with his plain brown ones. And she switched from calling him Nunez? “Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do.” The entire world was made of her hands resting on the lean muscles of his shoulders, her soft breath fanning across his nose, and her fierce gift of words. “You can do it without a protector, and you can do it better than most of the numbskulls you know.”

She pulled back from him and shoved her hands in her high-waisted skirt’s pockets, hiding half her forearms with the depth. It looked for a moment like she was going to say something else. No, apparently not, because she sighed and started down the road again.

Braden watched her for a moment with his questions brimming just under the line of being asked. They locked in his throat. He twisted his mouth dejectedly and walked up the sun bleached lawn, onto the porch. The front door popped open before he could reach for the knob. Standing in the doorway was Tío, in lounge pants, house slippers, and a newspaper slightly crumpled in his fist. He was mostly calm, but it was clear to anyone who knew what to look for how excited he was from the abused paper, which was always kept flat until Tía could do the crossword in the evenings.

“Who was that?” The middle aged man managed to keep a lid on the enormous grin that was threatening to show on the edges, peering unashamedly up the street for Ariana’s shrinking form. He apparently hadn’t seen enough from the surreptitiously parted curtain, spying so well as the teens had talked that even his nephew, well used to his snooping, hadn’t noticed then but noticed now, from the slash of light streaming into the otherwise dim room.

“Tío!” Braden hissed, trying to shove past him into the cool house. Away from the embarrassment he could feel about to happen. He didn’t get the choice.

“Hey, miss gal!!” Tío’s Georgia-flavoured English, rarely heard in the household of his Mexican born wife, now boomed into the street after Ariana. She turned on her heel, looking quizzically back the way she came. Braden was stock still in horror as his uncle enthusiastically waved her back and she shrugged, now walking back to the house. Oh no. Oh no no no no. Tío was going to invite her in for iced tea, and maybe sliced apples or something, and enough talk to completely expose his silly crush and thoughtless lies.

“I cain’t wait to meet her, sonny.” A gentle clap to the shoulder and a gleeful order to wait there and welcome her in kicked Braden’s brain back into planning gear instead of panicking. Tío had already disappeared to make tea or snacks, after making a lucky guess at how Braden felt, decided how suitable Ariana was for him, and that it was now the mission to see how far that could be helped along. But it couldn’t be all bad. Tío wasn’t dumb, he was just blunt. A bad quality for a gentleman but a boon for the uncle of a boy who hadn’t hardly ever spoken his mind at all before today. And once was enough. All he had done after asking her to walk him home was listen passively to her poignant, punchy words. If he could survive this, it might even turn into a good thing in the long run. Maybe. Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short mf chapters, that's how it goes here in the Cobalt household.  
> I just want to put the content I manage to create out there before I lose steam entirely.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A banger of an addition, let's go social discourse and headpats.

After a million years of compounded time waiting for her to trudge up to the door, when his crush stepped onto the porch and turned a questioning eyebrow his way, the teen was saved from answering when his uncle reappeared in the doorway and ushered her in cheerily. “Hey there doll, I’m Steven Nunez, Braden’s tío. I’m simply delighted to meet you. Come in for a drink? It’s awful hot out.” 

His words and manner put her internal wondering at ease, the hospitality not terribly foreign but the circumstances they came with having one logical guess as to what he was thinking. She smiled with an easy grace, a more polite rendition of her regular confident grin. “I’m Ariana Velasco, nice to meet you sir. Thanks for inviting me in.”

“Oh no trouble at all,” he gushed, walking and beckoning them to follow to the (blessedly air conditioned) little sunroom where the family did short social visits like this, and ate breakfast in the mornings. Braden sat in his regular seat at the round table after Ariana pulled it out politely, and she sat in Tío’s spot, not that she knew it. Tía’s chair was empty. Tío himself didn’t sit down in it, leaning in the doorway to talk for a moment. “It’s so convenient that he had someone to make sure he stayed safe on the walk back. So sad that he hasn’t any sisters or girl cousins in school.” The man swept away into the kitchen again to fetch whatever snacks and peach tea mix he'd pulled together, probably in the nice glasses, and didn’t see how Ariana’s relaxed smile had reactively tightened at the corners of her eyes and mouth.

A light silence settled over the pair in the sunroom as faint clicks sounded from the other room, glass dishes and their clink against metal, being set on a tray. “Very kind of your tío, inviting me in," she said lightly. Braden looked as stiff as a board and felt less creative than one, trying to think of anything clever to say. A beat passed before she added, "It looks like he's also on board with your tía, thinking you need a protector." 

That didn't need a clever response. Nodding solemnly, the boy confirmed her observation and then reiterated it himself. How dangerous the streets were to boys by themselves, and how the only girls they could trust were family and the precious few worthy to be girlfriends. Braden got more cautious in his phrasing and eventually just slowed to a halt in the middle of a sentence, as the listening girl's face got harder and sadder bit by bit. "I… I'm sorry if I… offended you," he trailed lamely. The sentence ended in a whisper and he tucked his chin down, gaze locked to his lap and face burning. Now he’d done it. He'd ruined the conversation, he'd made it sound like he didn't trust her, or that she was one of the bad girls, or that girls were bad overall but they weren't that's just how girls acted, he was just a bad boy, stupid boy, and a litany of panicked thoughts that verged on pooling tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Nunez," she sighed tiredly. He bit his lip, here was the scolding. He deserved it. "Who told you girls are dangerous?" Ariana's hand slipped into his and held it on the table. He jerked his head up in surprise, arm frozen where it lay and not daring to move. "Do you think I'm bad?" His eyes were tense with guilt as her kind ones met them, almost violently shaking his head. She was beautiful and sweet, she was the world to him. "Do you think Jackie is bad, or Violet, or Mavis?" He shook his head for each listed girl. They were his friends, they saw him everyday at school and never treated him badly or even made him feel uncomfortable. "How many girls in your life make you think they're about to jump you?" The simple question and its simple answer had Braden mentally stuttering in protest for a moment.

"I think someone told you the world is scary, because they wanted to keep you safe and maybe even believed it themselves, and you listened to them because you loved them too. You internalized it and now it feels like common sense. Some of the world is scary and dangerous and people can be horrible bastards to others-" he flinched at the swearing, Tío might be listening "-but the majority are good people. _You_ especially don't have to feel like prey; take some self defense courses or buy a weapon if you want extra reassurance. And you definitely don't _need_ a girlfriend." She stroked her thumb over his knuckles as the words came so easily. She clearly believed them.

"And why do you think it would be your fault if someone hurt you?" she continued. This time Ariana waited for an answer. 

The first one she got was him opening and closing his mouth like a fish and shrugging helplessly. The second one was more verbal. "Girls… they're just gonna act like that, that's how they are… it's nobody's fault, but it would be my fault for not keeping myself safe." The depressing answer was also one he clearly believed.

"People who hurt other people are at fault, boys or girls or anyone else. Everyone deserves to feel safe and nobody has rights to hurt people because 'that's how they are'." The jock let go of his hand to lean back in her chair, staring out the high windows to a place millions of miles away, thinking thoughts that shaped her brows fierce and resolute and mouth just as firmly set.

Silence started to settle in as Braden sat stunned, pondering her logic. "They might deserve to feel safe… but that's just how it is." The words tasted bitter and stale.

The corner of Ariana's mouth quirked up sarcastically. She had apparently said that same phrase in the past and didn't miss its flavour. "And you have no hope that it doesn't have to be like that? That people can be held accountable for their actions? That you can walk by yourself and feel safe because most people are good and those who aren't will be afraid of punishment or what you're packing? Take a second, Nunez, and hope. It feels better than fear."

Neither spoke as Ariana stared contemplatively into space and Braden reeled. Tío came back with a glass plate of sliced oranges and apples and peach tea in ice. The whole tray shivered musically when he placed it on the table and sat down. As he peppered Ariana with questions that were prying as possible within the bounds of politeness, and as he served them onto cups and little plates that matched, his nephew nibbled and sipped but mostly thought. About what it would be like to not need anyone. About the idea of feeling _safe_ by himself. The unyielding and steady logic and its promise of hope stayed stewing in his head for the whole half hour, until the tea ran out and Ariana rose, excusing herself to go. He tuned back in as Tío stood to walk her to the door.

"Of course, Miss Velasco, wouldn't want'ta keep ya any longer. 'M sure your daddy's worried sick, what with you not comin' home from school." She waved a hand unconcernedly as Braden popped out of his own chair to see their guest out, following the pair.

“He doesn’t keep too tight of a leash on me Mr. Nunez. I just need to see to my chores.” They reached the front door, Tío opening it and waving her out with a beaming grin. Ariana stepped to the edge of the porch and turned around to reiterate, “Thanks again for having me sir, it was great.”

“My pleasure, Miss Velasco, my pleasure.” He disappeared into the house, chuckling and no doubt planning a glowing report to tell Tía all about. Braden was left just inside the door with Ariana looking at him.

“Thanks for coming in,” he said, a bit awkward. His nerves were drawn tight from the conversation and its aftermath that still lingered in his mind. Hopefully if this happened again they could avoid something of that level.

She was less formal in just his presence, posture and expression softer. “I really like talking to you, Braden. You’re one of the few that thinks I have thoughts worth hearing.” A crazy idea, someone telling Ariana she was wrong. “You’re fun, and smart, and…. Maybe swing by my place next time?” He nodded immediately and so fast that his teeth clicked. “Great. I’ll tell my dad, is tomorrow okay?” More nodding, slightly more controlled. She blessed him with the view of one more smile, indulgently looking over his face and actually reaching out a hand to pat him twice on his fluffy head, like he was a kitten. Suddenly his resting heart rate felt a lot like his active heart rate. “You’re so cute,” she murmured. And that just picked up a lot too.

Ariana slid her hand off his soft head and trudged into the yard, casting a “See you tomorrow, buddy,” over her shoulder. Into the street, past the other houses, beyond a corner and out of sight, Braden watched her go and then shut the front door. He sank down into a plush chair and blinked. And blinked again, mouth slightly open. He sat like this for a minute before lightly laying a hand atop his own head, and smiling so hard that tears pricked his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are plot holes it's because Braden is a simp.


End file.
